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Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide

This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter.
For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. They hope these examples will help you to get a better understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try out things on your own.

However, currently there is not a tool to do this on the system if it's offline. If you want to use AlienBobs EFG, you have to be online.

As I explained, you can get a minimal secure firewall from the default Slackware install.
If you want to trust your security to a script provided by someone else over the web, then feel free. I choose not to do so.

Well, it should be choice during the install, something like "Would you like to configure a minimal firewall ?". Obviously, experts will choose no, and do it themselves. Newbies and lazy users (like me) will choose yes. It will improve default security in these cases. I don't see anything wrong with AlienBob's EFG, I've never had problems with and it provides good protection as I see from online tests.

It would be very nice to have an easy way to set up a firewall.
I actually still use Chess Griffin's firewall from a document I found years ago titled Slackware security (IIRK). Thanks Chess! And thanks to allend for pointing to /etc/ppp/firewall-standalone! I had never looked there...

My problem with an easier firewall setup is that it encourages a user to think that all that needs to be done to securely set up services such as NFS or SSH is elect to start the daemon during the install and then open ports in the firewall. Both the examples that I cite require further changes to a default Slackware install in order to to achieve an appropriately configured and secure setup. Merely opening ports in a firewall is only part of the setup process.
I do not wish to denigrate firewall setup scripts. I have used Alien_Bob's EFG and have learned from the output.

The point of the tools is to at least get some basic level of security integrated into Slackware's setup not for the advanced users with their custom setup scripts, but for beginner/novice users who don't understand the complex startup scripts for IPTables.

For many users starting out, they don't understand how anything works on Linux until AFTER they get online and start reading. Before they get online they have a system that is NOT secure even in the least. It's only after they get everything from online websites, documents, and such they finally learn how to setup a Firewall on Linux, but by that time, it could be too late. The basic firewall or even advanced setup script(s) that could be implemented at least offer some fundamental baseline for what type of security we should strive for. Even at the most basic level of configuration AlienBOB's script does block a lot of unwanted traffic and only allows valid protocols from applications loaded.

For the advanced users running servers, yes we don't need it and that part of the setup and system configuration CAN be skipped.Even I don't use the basic setup of AlienBOB's script. I actually have some customizations just for my system to handle ports, protocols, and which traffic from other systems on my network can see and communicate with my machine, but in comparison, something is better than nothing. By offering at least some basic level we can at least tell the beginner user, "Yes you have a firewall setup tool, yes the firewall works, and yes your system has protection, but there are documents out there to allow for more advanced features when and if you need them."

This tool is needed for the system regardless of how we look at it. Yes, it's not a tool for advanced users, but for beginners it's a sign that the project cares about your security.

And as stated, if you don't want to use it, you can skip it... Just like some of us skip the installation section to create a Bootable USB Stick for LILO, and Testing Custom Screen Fonts.

For many users starting out, they don't understand how anything works on Linux until AFTER they get online and start reading. Before they get online they have a system that is NOT secure even in the least.

Really? I'm curious where the security issues are on a freshly installed, unfirewalled machine that would let people break in the moment you got online.

Originally Posted by ReaperX7
"Yes you have a firewall setup tool, yes the firewall works, and yes your system has protection, but there are documents out there to allow for more advanced features when and if you need them."

That reads a lot like:

Quote:

If you need to set up your Linux machine as a router for other systems,
you'll want to set up the interfaces in /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1.conf, and
set up NAT support with something like this in /etc/rc.d/rc.firewall,
and then make rc.firewall executable.

That's a shade I dislike... Are we "playing a game" ? Do you want to know who's got the bigger d*ck ?? Seriously... That reminds one of my colleague "playing teacher" with another one instead of just doing its job...

Where are the "leader board" so I can see if me too I can be "the geekier slacker around" ??? I like slackware because it's straightforward, vanilla and so on... NOT because it makes me feel superior to other people because *I* would know in which deeply hidden documentation some quote is...

Seriously that is off topic and does not help the debate...

The debate is: There ARE noobs, even using Slackware, and even if you don't mind, there also are professionals (myself) not willing to write many time the same stuff... sorry, I'm a programmer, for 23 years now, and I never like writing the same thing twice, moreover I got the brain to automate a "dull task"... If you like doing those no brain task by hand that's your freedom, having some tool that helps people not to write the script, just using easy and human readable data (yet itself a script that can itself be generated or whatever), I really don't understand where it bothers the one that like to type useless stuff (yes useful, but brainless once you have done it), they can... The one who'd rather have a life instead of opening vi etc, those people would be able to do something else AND have a firewall AND have a control on how this firewall is setup.

I'm not into the graphical tools... BUt complaining because a helper, not mandatory, could be too easy for the people... Sorry but this is deeply stupid...

Really? I'm curious where the security issues are on a freshly installed, unfirewalled machine that would let people break in the moment you got online.

Hi Pat,

Sorry, but there is at least another one, obviously it's unfirewalled, but also SSH deamon accept root connection (this is not a safe behavior for a server plugged directly on the web).Edit: well, thinking about that, it's not really a "leak", you really need to be able to connect as root during the early install phase, and the fact that you should first create a user then, disable the remote root access, is a "good habit", but the system can't do or propose a lot more without getting into something overkill.

There might be some other, but I don't remind at the time (..of wakening )...

BTW, we are not criticizing nor willing to impose anything on slackware, we just propose things that we think could be useful to some of us, and if it can help "noobs" to come to slackware, I'd be happy.

Sorry, but there is at least another one, obviously it's unfirewalled, but also SSH deamon accept root connection (this is not a safe behavior for a server plugged directly on the web).Edit: well, thinking about that, it's not really a "leak", you really need to be able to connect as root during the early install phase, and the fact that you should first create a user then, disable the remote root access, is a "good habit", but the system can't do or propose a lot more without getting into something overkill.

There might be some other, but I don't remind at the time (..of wakening )...

BTW, we are not criticizing nor willing to impose anything on slackware, we just propose things that we think could be useful to some of us, and if it can help "noobs" to come to slackware, I'd be happy.

Thanks for all the hard work,

Cheers

Garry.

I agree. It stops port scanning, where hackers look for vulnerable services with open and unfirewalled ports. It helps prevent exploitation of bugs in unpatched services or unknown exploits in services with open ports. I don't see how not having a firewall by default is more secure than having a basic one. The first thing I do after installing slackware is copy in my old rc.firewall (one generated by EFG).

That's a shade I dislike... Are we "playing a game" ? Do you want to know who's got the bigger d*ck ?? Seriously... That reminds one of my colleague "playing teacher" with another one instead of just doing its job...

Where are the "leader board" so I can see if me too I can be "the geekier slacker around" ??? I like slackware because it's straightforward, vanilla and so on... NOT because it makes me feel superior to other people because *I* would know in which deeply hidden documentation some quote is...

Seriously that is off topic and does not help the debate...

It is not off-topic actually. That quote is taken from the email root has in her mailbox immediately after a fresh install of Slackware...
In Slackware 13.37 that email has the subject "Welcome to Linux (Slackware 13.37)!" and you are well-advised to read it!

Also, Slackware does not activate the SSH daemon by default. You, the person installing Slackware, makes the conscious decision of activating it (or not) during installation.